Virtual Worlds

February 1st, 2010

Virtual environments are an interesting concept; and recently the number of games that offer such environments has increased. Second Life is an example of such an online game. Second Life’s currency is the Linden Dollar, and it is exchangeable for US dollars in a marketplace consisting of residents, Linden Lab, and real life companies. The exchange rate fluctuates, but generally L$ 265 are exchangeable for 1 USD. Records indicate that a small percentage of players derive net incomes from this economy, ranging from a few hundred to several thousand USD per month. On the other hand, a larger percentage derive a gross income large enough to offset most of their expenditures in L$. While this game might attract people to earn money, there is also a large group of players that spend a lot of money playing this game. The truth is that they do not earn enough money to offset the expenses and because of that they will lose real money.

The popularity of virtual worlds like Second Life is growing, and some universities like San Jose State University have even built a virtual campus in Second Life. This campus spans 16 virtual acres, and is being visited by students who are on a quest for knowledge. The staff is trying to simulate real world experiences, and they hope that this will allow students to have an interesting experience. Among other things, Second Life is used to face the terror of public speaking. It will be interesting to observe whether more institutions will build their virtual property in such worlds.

You might be wondering whether I recommend playing Second Life in order to earn some additional income. I think that it might be worth a try, especially for people who have interest in playing online games. It might also be appealing for those who spend a lot of time chatting online. Do you think that Virtual environments will become more and more popular in the upcoming years?